Shifter issues on my 2000 Ranger XLT 2.5 Liter

[dammitmartini882]

greetings all, i hope this is the right place to post this. i was looking for a solution (process of repair) to my shifter issues. Simply put, the truck is not going into park unless i jam the shifter all the way up, which i dont want to make a habit of doing. In turn, to make sure the truck stays put, i use the parking brake. It has been gradually getting harder to get it into park, and obviously it wont start unless i do. Just looking for advice before i bring it in and bend over. Thanks in advance to anyone that responds.

 

[pjtoledo]

worn bushings on the steering column, particularly down at the bottom.
there is a shifter cable adjustment on the transmission, is the indicator centered on other gears?

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

Common issue on all Ford trucks with column shifters

Google: Ford Ranger loose column shifter

Watch the videos, and read some of the atricles, usually just a couple of loose screws/bolts under the dash, but can be worn bushings as said by pjtoledo